Violin tail-piece



(No Model.)

. J. B. DAUDELIN.

VIOLIN TAIL PIECE. No. 387,494. Patented Aug. '7, 1888..

S ATES PATENT Orri'eno JEAN BAPTISTE DAUDELIN, OF FALL RIVER, MASSACHUSETTS.

VIOLIN TAIL-PIECE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 387,494, dated August *7, 1888.

(No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J nan Bar'rrsrn DAUDE- LIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fall River, in the county of Bristol and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tail-Pieces for Violins; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

Myinvention relates to tail-pieces for violins and similar stringed instruments; and it consists in an improved construction for holding the strings, whereby they may be made to last longer than with the constructions now in use.

I have illustrated my invention in the accompanying drawings, and said invention is fully disclosed in the following specification and claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a top view ofa tailpiece for stringed instruments with my improvements applied thereto. Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view of my improved de vices for holding the strings. Fig. 3 is an enlarged top view of one of said devices with the top plate removed, showing the disposition of the string around the thumb-screw. Fig. 4 is a top view of a modified form of construction.

In using violinsit is customary to secure one end of the string to the tail-piece, drawing the string through the key,and coiling the portion of the string which is not to be used about the head of theinstrument. The constant fingering of the strings upon the finger-board of the instrument causes them to wear out and break at a point near the head of the same, so that the entirelength ofthe string between the head and tailpiece must be thrown away and the remaining portion drawn through the key and secured to the tailpiece, as before. IVith the ordinary string this replacement cannot be made more than two or threetimes, and acousiderable amount of string is thereby rendered useless.

I am aware that it has been proposed to provide the tail-pieces of violins with spools whereon to wind the surplus string; but this construction I do not claim.

In applying my invention to stringed instruments I attach one end of a string to the key and secure the loose portion to the tail-piece in such a manner that when thestringbecomes worn and breaks the short portion between the finger-board and the key willbethrown away, instead of the longer portion between the tingcr-board and the tail-piece, and the string may be drawn through and again secured to the key. In this manner a string may be broken and replaced about ten times, instead of two or three, as in the former constructions. In order that the portion of the string drawn forward may not be injured when held upon the tail-piece, I provide a construction which enables me to hold the strings in such a manner that they will not become worn or frayed whilebeing held by the string-holding devices.

I provide the underside of the tail-piece A with a recess extending transversely of the same,in which is located the plate B. In the body of the tail-piece,above the plate B, I provide a number of perforations, which correspond to screw-threaded circular openings in the plate B. In the upper surface of the wit piece and surrounding the apertures are recesses O, which are filled with an elastic packingsuch as rubber, leather, or similar substances. Above this packing is the plate D, of circular or polygonal form, provided with a circular opening. These plates are held down upon the packing by screwthreaded thumbscrews E, which pass through the opening in the plate and body of the tail-piece and engage the screw-threads of the opening in the plate 13, and are provided with shoulders e, which bear upon the plates D.

In attaching astring one end is first secured to the key,and the string is then placed around the thumbscrew, as shown in Fig. 8, beneath the plate D,and the thumb screw turned until the plate D forces the string down upon and into the elastic packing, where it will be held firmly, but without injurious pressure. The string may in addition he passed down through key-hole slots,with which tail-pieces are ordinarily provided, and up and over the front edge of the tail-piece before being placed in engagement with the holding devices.

In Fig. 4 I have shown a modified form of construction, in which I provide a plate, D, of somewhat different form, adapted to give a moreextended bearing upon the string. In this case I provide the face of the tail-piece with recesses slightly longer than their width, and I also provide plates of similar shape having the extended bearing upon one side of the thumb-screw. The string is then placed around the thumb screws, so that the two portions of the same cross on the side of the eX- tended bearing of the plate, whereby a greater portion of the string is held by the pressure of the plate upon the packing, and in both forms ofmy invention the compression of the strings upon their points of crossing forms one of the important features in the operation of my holding devices.

In Fig. l I have shown aholding device for each string; but I may prefer to provide such devices for the two lighter strings only, as they are more liable to wear out and break than the other heavier strings. I may also use one holding device for two or more strings, ifpreferred, as shown in Fig. 4, where two strings may be attached to the same device, and in other ways I do not desire to belimited to my exact constructions, as many variations may be made therein without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having fully described my invention,,what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A tailpiece for violins, provided with a screw-actuated pressure-plate,substantially as described.

2. A tail-piece for violins, provided with a screw-threaded plate on the under side of the same and on its upper side with packing, pressure-plate, and screw substantially as de' scribed.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JEAN BAPTISTE DAUDELIN.

\Vitnesses:

EDWARD HIGGINSON, JOSEPH H. BURON. 

